Editorial Cite This: ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 10913−10913
pubs.acs.org/acscatalysis
Another Nobel Prize for Catalysis: Frances Arnold in 2018
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n the first issue of ACS Catalysis, published in January 2011, my introductory editorial discussed the long-standing importance and impact of catalysis in pushing forward the frontiers of chemistry.1 For over 100 years, the scientific community has been acknowledging key advances in chemistry related to catalysis, with on the order of 20 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry being strongly associated with discoveries related to catalysts or catalysis. To this end, some may shrug their shoulders and come to expect the catalysis community to produce Nobel Laureates every few years. But this is not just “another Nobel Prize” to me. It is not an abstract prize given to people whom I have only read about or encountered fleetingly at scientific conferences. To me, this year’s Prize recognizes a brilliant scientist (and engineer!) whom I was able to watch first hand during my years as a graduate student. When I joined Caltech’s chemical engineering program as a first year Ph.D. student in 1995, Frances’s group was well-known in biocatalysis and was in the early stages of the development and application of “directed evolution”. I was drawn to Caltech by the sheer number of researchers working at the cutting edge of various aspects of catalysis, whether it be Mark Davis in heterogeneous catalysis (my Ph.D. mentor), Frances in biocatalysis (Associate Editor Huimin Zhao’s Ph.D. mentor), or Bob Grubbs in molecular catalysis (Associate Editor Sukbok Chang’s Postdoctoral mentor). The campus had an incredible energy during my time there (1995−2000), and today it continues to boast an array of researchers working in catalysis that would leave most institutions filled with envy. There are other reasons why this is not just “another Nobel Prize” for me. Frances is a researcher who in many ways represents what science is todayblurred lines that defy categorization. Is she an engineer? A biochemist? A catalysis scientist? An inventor? Yes, she is all of them. Is she a researcher working on fundamental topics, or working on applications that impact society and humanity? She does both. Innovation comes by creating your own path, as Frances has done, and not simply staying within your category or being confined to a specific box.2 She is a great example of what creativity, ambition, dedication, and hard work can produce lasting scientific discoveries that change the way the world sees chemistry. ACS Catalysis is proud to say that she was a member of the original Editorial Advisory Board, and has been a contributing author and referee as well. Collectively, we offer her our hearty congratulations!
ACS Catal. 2018.8:10913-10913. Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by 5.62.152.135 on 11/02/18. For personal use only.
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REFERENCES
(1) Jones, C. W. ACS Catal. 2011, 1, 1. (2) In the context of ACS Catalysis, we do not confine ourselves to a single box, which is reflected in our desire to publish all types of catalysis together. ACS Catalysis aims to provide a single venue where any researcher interested in catalysis will find research of interest to them, regardless of their traditional subfield, or “box” in which they might be placed by others (heterogeneous catalysis, molecular catalysis, biocatalysis, and enzymology).
Christopher W. Jones, Editor-in-Chief
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Georgia Institute of Technology
AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Christopher W. Jones: 0000-0003-3255-5791 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. © 2018 American Chemical Society
Published: November 2, 2018 10913
DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b04266 ACS Catal. 2018, 8, 10913−10913
